About MaterialsA. Chainmail:Bright Aluminum: This material is lightweight, affordable, and has practically no rub-off on prolonged skin contact. It does not rust nor does the color fade or tarnish. It works well for small jewelry pieces, but really shines in larger items, like skirts or shirts. A maille skirt made of steel can weigh 20 lbs or more, but one made of aluminum will rarely weight much more than 2 lbs!Anodized Aluminum: This is the easiest and most affordable way to incorporate color into maille. These have all the same properties as regular aluminum, but have a solid color coating. This coating can get scratched off, but this shouldn't occur with normal wear. Copper: Slightly heavier than aluminum, but very soft. This makes manipulation of the metal easier, but closing links perfectly becomes a more difficult task. Copper does tarnish beautifully, but is easy to clean. With a little work, you can keep your copper pieces the color of a new penny, or allow them to develop an antiqued aged look. Enamelled Copper: A layer of colored enamel is coated on soft copper. These create colors that are brighter and more lustrous than anodized aluminum, but the links are slightly weaker. This isn't really a problem unless you're planning on making armor out of enamelled copper, which I have yet to see. I prefer silvered enamelled copper in my pieces, in which the copper is first plated with silver before the enamel is put on, creating even brighter more bold colors. Bronze: Medium weight, medium price, medium strength. The color is close to copper, but the links are stronger. I don't work much with this metal, but what pieces I have made with this have tarnished wonderfully. While new bronze looks flashy, I have yet to find an antiqued look better than tarnished bronze links. Stainless Steel: The favorite metal of chainmail. It is extremely affordable due to its ubiquity , incredibly strong, and does not tarnish, rust, or leave rub-off on the skin. It doesn't get scratched, and the links stay in place better than other materials. The only real drawback to stainless steel is that it can get really heavy for larger pieces. You will know when you are wearing a shirt, skirt, or even bracers made of steel. For many, though, that good heft is half the appeal! Black Stainless Steel: Stainless steel with a black magnetite coating. There is a minor black rub-off on the skin with extensive wearing of these pieces, but other than that, these are awesome rings with which to work, as they possess all the other benefits of stainless steel. Rubber Rings: I don't often incorporate these into my work, but when artfully done, solid rubber rings are a good way to add flexibility, color, and stretchiness to maille. Silver: Understandably a more expensive material to work in. Due to its cost and softness, this is generally used in smaller, fine jewelry. I generally only make silver pieces by special request, and do not keep many pieces lying around for general sale. B. Leather:B1. Vegetable Tanned LeatherA general background to leather types: All leather used by Zatch Creations are full-grain, meaning it is actually the whole skin, from top to bottom. Many larger-scale commercial ventures will use split-grain leather, where leather hides are pulled apart into multiple layers, and the cheper middles layers are then pasted together into a split-grain 'hide.' While this gives the feeling of a regular leather hide, it will last a year or two on the outside, with minimal use, before splitting apart or tearing. Even farther down the line is 'laminated leather.' This stuff looks very shiny and very professional, and can be molded into different shapes and patterns very well. The reason for all this is because it is essentially comprised of split leather and a polyurethane compound. When that coating comes off, and it will, the leather falls apart. Also, if it gets damaged, it can't be repaired. Full grain leather, on the other hand, is very strong, and even if no special care is given to the leather, it will reliably last 10 years or more before weakening. It's a little bit more expensive than the cheaper leathers, but the quality makes it absolutely worth it. Vegetable tanned leather: This is the main leather I use. Bracelets, bracers, and larger pieces made by me will all have this leather as their primary material. The best part about vegetable tanned leather (versus chrome tanning), is that the leather will never putrefy. It has been thoroughly converted into a material that will not rot, even if you get the leather wet. Thicknesses of leather used: I use 3 ranges of leather. Leather thickness is measured in 'ounces,' where 1 ounce = 1/64 inch thickness. The ranges I personally utilize are 3-5 oz., 5-7 oz., and 7-9 oz. The thickest type is used for bracers and larger men's items. The medium thickness is generally used for smaller bracelets and bracers, as well as some layered leather pieces. The thinnest type is used for pieces that call for a lot of layering, which prevents the pieces from getting too bulky. B2. Liners: Garment Leather: This is a thin, soft, and supple leather that is more like cloth than leather hides, with a smooth exterior. It is my basic liner for leather pieces that have contact with skin. I generally only use black garment leather, but could Pigskin/deerskin: These are the more high end liner material I use, as they are even softer than garment leather, with a suede finish. |